The detective is dead, I did it.

Chapter 32 The Origin of the Witch

Even though the church was experiencing a cultural boom at that time, it was surprisingly tolerant of these people who studied healing and saving lives, and their dissection of animals was not defined as blasphemy.

As far as the church is concerned, as long as it doesn't openly oppose the God of Light or engage in blasphemous acts like experimenting on living people, everything is fine.

Moreover, their research has indeed brought about many changes to the world.

Treatments for many diseases were passed down from their manuscripts, and many life-saving herbs were widely cultivated because of their records.

Even modern biomedical science is largely based on the research of those people.

But then, things changed.

No one knows when it started, or who took that first step. In short, some of those people began to go to extremes.

They were no longer content with observing and dissecting dead specimens; they turned their attention to living beings. First animals, then humans.

They began experimenting on living people, trying to figure out how much damage a person could withstand without dying, and what methods would be needed to revive them after they died.

Those who were used for experiments were mostly homeless people and orphans who no one cared about, and occasionally there were slaves bought or prisoners of war picked up from the battlefield.

These actions have thoroughly crossed the church's bottom line, so most of these people have been imprisoned and arrested.

However, because of their outstanding contributions, the church did not completely label them as heretics, but gave them a chance to repent.

But in the end, everything changed because of the gaze of that being in the starry sky.

Legend has it that during a secret sacrificial ritual, a group of people's exploration of life inadvertently turned into a sacrificial ceremony, thus touching a thin membrane at the edge of the universe.

On the other side of the membrane, an ancient being opened its eyes, responded to their call, and cast its gaze upon them.

Under the other party's gaze, it seemed that nothing had happened, but their research made rapid progress.

They began to use a power that did not belong to this world, which could reshape human bodies and even briefly resurrect the dead.

They called this power the Alchemy of Life.

Then, disaster struck.

The disaster, later recorded as the "First Great Plague," began to spread from somewhere on the European continent.

The deceased's entire body was blackened, and blood was flowing from his seven orifices; his death was extremely gruesome.

No one knew the cause of the disease, or even how to treat it. Entire villages were emptied, and the streets were filled with corpses that could not be buried in time.

The survivors searched all over Europe and found the women's notebooks in an abandoned manor.

The notes detailed their experimental process, how they used living people to conduct new research, and the black virus that the experimental subjects carried when they escaped.

From then on, people called her a witch.

The church's decree clearly states that anyone who dares to have an affair with a witch will be burned at the stake in public.

Centuries have passed, the church has declined, and detectives have risen.

But that law was inherited exactly as it was. The Detective Association's attitude towards witches is even more resolute than it was during the Church era.

The church's trials at least went through the motions, but the detectives, who possessed superpowers, didn't even need to write reports when they encountered witches—they were treated the same way as cult members.

The surviving witches huddled together for warmth in the darkness and formed the Witches' Guild, which has been passed down from generation to generation.

It turned out to be the case.

Li Ang now has a general understanding of the existence of witches.

"But then again, could the ability user hiding in the mansion be a witch?" Li Ang asked seemingly casually.

Charlotte didn't answer directly, but tapped her fingers on the armrest of the chair, clearly deep in thought.

"That makes sense. It's quite normal for a witch who excels in life studies to possess the ability to change her form."

"Moreover, similar superpowers are extremely rare. The few known individuals with such abilities are all on the Detective Association's surveillance list, and none of them are related to this case."

"Therefore, there is a high possibility that the ability user in the mansion is a witch."

Li Ang nodded quickly, his expression sincere and earnest, "What the young lady said makes sense. I also think the mastermind behind it all is a witch."

Charlotte glanced at him. "Poch, why do I have this feeling that you're deliberately leading me astray?"

Li Ang tensed up instantly, not expecting Charlotte to be so perceptive. He forced himself to keep his expression flawless before saying, "Really? I just think you're right, so I'm just agreeing."

Charlotte stared at him. "You'd better not hide anything from me."

"How could that be?" Li Ang raised his right hand and said solemnly, "I swear by the gods, I have never lied to you."

That's true. He didn't deceive Charlotte; he just concealed part of the truth.

Everything he said was true, but not all of it.

Charlotte looked away.

From an angle unseen by Li Ang, she had already used her abilities to confirm that what the other party had just said was true, but her intuition told her that the other party was definitely hiding something from her.

"Furthermore," Li Ang opportunely changed the subject, "should we continue the investigation into the maids in the manor?"

"Theoretically, this matter is outside the scope of our commission. Poch, do you know what task that fat viscount gave me?"

"What is it?"

"Investigate the truth behind the jewel theft. That's all. It's all clearly stated in the commission agreement."

Li Ang looked at her, somewhat puzzled, "Is there something wrong with this?"

"That's not right." Charlotte smiled, a smile tinged with sarcasm, though it was unclear who she was mocking. "There are many kinds of truth. Who stole the jewel is one truth. Why they stole the jewel is another."

"What shady things are hidden in this mansion is another truth. He just wants me to find the first one, and then bury the other two together."

"You mean... he doesn't want you to investigate too deeply?"

"Yes." Charlotte shook her head, put her legs off the chair, and stood up, taking a few steps around the room.

"He didn't demand that I find the murderer. Think about it: someone loses a priceless jewel, hires the best detective in all of London, but doesn't demand that the culprit be caught—is that reasonable?"

"There's only one answer: he didn't actually want me to uncover anything more secretive in the mansion. So the wording of the power of attorney was deliberately left open, allowing me to close the case and leave at any time."

A thought suddenly flashed through Li Ang's mind.

He recalled Charlotte's previous remarks, which he had initially thought were jokes. Now it seemed that this woman had long ago understood the subtext hidden between the lines of the commission.